Courageous Leadership Needs a Feedback Loop

The world needs leaders brave enough to make tough calls for the right reasons. It also needs followers courageous enough to speak truth to power.?

Leaders have a responsibility to be open to those challenges. We cannot be afraid of well-intentioned team members questioning our assumptions or offering other perspectives. It takes courage on both sides — to speak up and to truly listen.?

We all have biases and insecurities that can sometimes hinder our ability to listen. However, feedback is essentially information we can either accept — or not. We don't have to agree with it, but we shouldn't let our fears, or others', prevent us from factoring it into our decision-making.

The truth is leaders can’t lead in a vacuum. The more we surround ourselves with well-intentioned, honest people who aren't afraid to speak the truth, the more data we gather. The more data we gather, the more confident we can be in our choices. At the end of the day, better choices serve everyone better.